I am two weeks negligent from posting in this blog. I blame it completely on Lola, our new kitten. Her cuteness has manipulated me into playing with pompoms and feathers on strings and snuggling rather than writing. I apologize…but come on, look at that face…

Anyways, the recipe I am sharing today is a super healthy and easy vegetarian soup that comes from my sister’s kitchen, who adapted it from my grandmother’s recipe. It might sound like a strange concept (and admittedly, it is not the most aesthetically attractive dish) but it is delicious – even her kids love it. It can also be very easily modified to be gluten-free!

Ingredients

1 small to medium sized onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups water

4-15 oz cans garbanzo beans (chick peas) – keep 1 separate!

salt, to taste

1/4 box spaghetti (or 1-2 cups cooked rice for gluten-free!)

Directions

Chop onion, carrots, and celery and cook on medium heat in a large sauce pan with olive oil until softened. Be sure to stir frequently so the onions do not burn.

Rinse 3 of the cans of garbanzo beans and place in the pot with the 4 cups of water. Blend the 4th can of beans in a blender or food processor and add to the pot.

Bring the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil and cook your spaghetti. Before dropping it in the water, break the spaghetti into small pieces. Drain and put aside until the soup is done cooking.

After about 30 minutes of simmering, use a potato masher to mash up the whole chick peas in the pot (it doesn’t have to be perfect – chunks give it texture). Once mashing is complete, stir in the cooked spaghetti (or rice if you prefer).